Incinerator toilet



July 18, 1967 E. B. BLANKENSHIP 3,

INCINERATOR TOILET Filed April 30, 1965 ERNEST BAYNE BLANKENSHIP INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,331,338 INCINERATOR TOILET Ernest Bayne Blankenship, Irving, Tex. (P.O. Box 35164, Dallas, Tex. 75235) Filed Apr. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 452,269 4 Claims. (Cl. 110-9) This invention relates to incinerator toilets and has reference to means for removing waste from the :bowl areas.

Heretofore water has been used in incinerator toilets for flushing the inner bowl surfaces, but the use of water for this purpose is objectionable because additional heat is required to evaporate the water. Additionally, such use requires a source of water with the attendant cost of storage and maintenance.

Another prior means for maintaining a sanitary bowl surface has been the use of disposable liners, for example, paper cones. The use of liners is expensive and requires the placing of aliner in the bowl each time the toilet is used. The user, particularly in public places, may be indiflerent or ignorant of the necessity of the liner with the result that an unsanitary situation may develop.

An object of the invention is to provide a waterless incinerator toilet which will remain sanitary under all conditions of normal operation.

Another object is to provide a waterless incinerator toilet which does not require a disposable liner for the toilet bowl or other depository area.

A particular object is to provide a waterless toilet wherein the inner exposed areas are self-sanitizing by the application of heat from the incinerator.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a waterless incinerator type toilet in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a broken perspective view showing the upper and lower bowl portions of the construction illustrated in FIGURE 1 and additionally showing the flexible closures above the incinerator chamber, which closures also provide the bottom of the lower bowl portion.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of the closures in partially flexed position and showing the full operation thereof by means of dotted and dashed lines, and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of a corner of the incinerator chamber as viewed from above, a portion of the outer housing and the application of a foot pedal to the closures.

The incinerator shown includes a housing having an insulating lining 11 of suitable material, for example fiber glass batting. The top of the housing 10 has a hinged toilet seat 12 and lid 13 in the usual manner. Within the top of the housing 10 and extending downwardly beneath the seat 12 there is an upper bowl portion 14, the forward wall of which is sloped inwardly. Beneath the upper bowl portion 14, and supported thereby, there is a lower bowl portion 15, the lower end of which extends into the top of a rectangular open top incinerator chamber 16. A vent line 17 extends from the interior of the chamber 16 outwardly of the housing 10. Within the chamber 16 and spaced from the bottom of the housing 10 there is a slidably removable ash pan 18 which is connected with a removable cover 19 in the housing 10 by a pair of parallel rods 20. Beneath the ash pan 18 there is a source of 3,331,338 Patented July 18, 1967 heat schematically shown at 21. This source of heat may be an electric heating element, a gas flame or other means capable of producing suflicient heat for the intended purpose. The lower bowl portion 15 is of a material capable of absorbing heat by radiation from the heat source 21. Sheet aluminum has been used in the present construction for this purpose.

A feature of the invention is directed to at least one highly flexible leaf mounted at one of its sides or ends for flexing action when solid waste falls thereon, and which action causes the waste to fall into the incinerator where it is subsequently consumed.

In the drawing two such leaves 22 are rigidly mounted at opposite sides on parallel rods 23 which are journaled in the walls of the lower bowl portion 15. As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the leaves 22 slope downwardly to where they meet for draining urine into the chamber 16. Not shown, but within the scope of the invention adjoining edges of the leaves 22 may overlap. Although the leaves 22 reach high temperatures by radiation, there is little steam by reason of urine thereon because the mass of the leaves is low. By way of example, the leaves may be hardened stainless steel foil.

Paper deposited on the leaves 22 does not have suffi cient weight to flex the leaves. In order to dump the paper in the incinerator chamber 16 a pedal operated mechanism is provided. Cranks 24 are mounted on corresponding projecting ends of the rods 23 and the lengths of which cranks are directed toward each other. The free ends of the cranks 24 have outwardly projecting pins 25 which slide in elongate slots 26 in a pedal bar 27. As shown in FIGURE 4, the pedal bar 27 extends outwardly through a vertical slot 28 in the housing 10, the extending end of which bar is provided with a foot pedal 29. Levers 30 are pivotally mounted on pins 31 on opposite sides of the incinerator chamber 16 and which levers are at right angles to and rigidly connected with the pedal bar 27. The pins 31 are intermediate the ends of the levers 30, and the extending ends of the levers are connected with tension springs 32 mounted on the incinerator chamber 16. The springs 32 are arranged so that they normally maintain the pedal bar 27 in its raised position which, in turn, maintains the leaves 22 in their closed position.

The heat generated by the source 21 is cycled, for example, as shown and described in my prior Patent No.

3,169,497. Thus, the incinerator is relatively cool While being used, and the heat is generated thereafter to reduce the waste, both solid and liquid, to ash. The described construction burns off residue of waste from the lower bowl portion 15 and the leaves 22, thus maintaining a sanitary device throughout long normal use.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a waterless toilet having an open top incinerator chamber therein and an open bowl above said chamber, at least one flexible leaf generally horizontally positioned and comprising a means responsive to the weight of waste material to deposit the said material in the incinerator chamber, and means supporting said leaf along one side thereof.

2. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1, the construction wherein said means supporting said leaf includes a rotatable rod on which said leaf is rigidly mounted, and

means selectively rotating said rod in a direction to angularly dispose said leaf into said chamber.

3. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 2, the construction wherein said means supporting each said leaf is a rotatable rod on which said leaf is rigidly mounted, and means selectively rotating said rods in a direction to angularly dispose said leaves into said chamber.

4. In a waterless toilet having an open top incinerator chamber therein and an open bowl above said chamber, a multiple of flexible leaves generally horizontally positioned and comprising a means responsive to the weight of waste material to deposit the said material in the incinerator chamber, and means supporting each said leaf along a side thereof.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,432,740 10/1922 Le Blane 110-9 X 2,732,564 1/1956 Potts 4-131 3,169,497 2/1965 Blankenship 1109 FOREIGN PATENTS 226,063 6/ 1958 Australia.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

H. B. RAMEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A WATERLESS TOILET HAVING AN OPEN TOP INCINERATOR CHAMBER THEREIN AND AN OPEN BOWL ABOVE SAID CHAMBER, AT LEAST ONE FLEXIBLE LEAF GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED AND COMPRISING A MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE WEIGHT OF WASTE MATERIAL TO DEPOSIT THE SAID MATERIAL IN THE INCINERATOR CHAMBER, AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID LEAF ALONG ONE SIDE THEREOF. 